A Mother/Daughter Storytelling Duo
Once upon a time there was a single mom who had literally run away from a very abusive marriage. Giving up her own theater career, she dedicated herself to raising her precious little girl alone. She had no money to provide entertainment for her daughter, so being a creative spirit, the mom turned their little 800 square foot apartment into a personalized bed and breakfast retreat for each other. It was on those special, Friday evenings, that this mom and daughter gave birth to Mrs. Terra Cotta Pots & Twig and all their colorful characters. The apartment became a creative haven for over 12 programs that include original stories and songs. A local corporation heard about this talented team and invited them to perform at a holiday party. That was many years ago and this highly recognized and honored mother and daughter storytelling duo have entertained over 10,000 children with their live productions and thousands more during their televised programs. Their “Patching Hearts” healing shows and “Dream Patch” gardens have helped heal hundreds of little broken hearts and their Workshops
 have planted seeds of motivation, creative inspiration and guidance teaching young students how to market themselves for college scholarships through volunteerism.
Today, all grown up, both Lainie and Nika Belcastro, are still “planting dreams for children,” encouraging them to see something beautiful everyday and to patch a broken heart when needed! Both Lainie and Nika, co-creators of Mrs. Terra Cotta Pots & Twig, are grateful for their inspirational journey and plan to live happily ever after!!!
A warm thank you from our hearts to all of our family, friends and “dream-planters” who have helped our garden grow! Love and hugs to the “special little ones” and their families who have shared their challenging stories with us through our Patching Hearts series programs. You are our “terra cotta potterriffic” angels!
AlliedSignal, Inc., Honeywell, Avaya Corporation, The Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Morris, The Deirdre O’Brien Child Advocacy Center with NJ Gov. Christie Whitman, Barnes and Noble, Borders Books, The Arc for Special Children, Morristown Memorial Hospital Pediatric Oncology Dept, The Morris County Library Summer Fun Festival, The Saddle Brook Library, The Springfield Library, The Children’s Center for Therapy & Learning, EPOCH, NJ, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, The Valerie Fund, Mid-Hudson Valley Camp, Sister Pat’s Kids, Compassionate Care Hospice, Dept of Human Service Regional School, Chathem United Methodist Day Care, Morris Plains, Morris, Randolph, Essex, Bergen and Passaic School Districts, City of Montclair, Morris Plains Recreation, College of St. Elizabeth, PCCI Mentor Program, Women’s Junior League of Morristown, Rotary of Morris Plains and First Night Morris , Biney & Smith Crayola, The National Centre for Padre Pio, Rodale Child Care Center, Turning Point of Lehigh Valley, St. Paul United Methodist Church, STAR Academies-Lehigh University, PBS-39-TEMPO.
Mrs. Terra Cotta Pots & Twig are endorsed by Rich Ruffalo, 1995 recipient of Walt Disney & McDonald’s
American Teacher Awards, EPOCH, a NJ program for developmentally disabled youths, and recipients of
numerous awards for outstanding volunteer service including the Honeywell Corporation, “Community Service
Award”, the “Outstanding Citizen Award” from The First Morris Bank & Trust Company of NJ, the
“Unsung Heroes” spotlight from the Morris County Daily Record, recognitions from the Eckerd Corporation,
Wrigley’s Corporation , CoverGirl, Russ Berrie Corporation and honored by News 12 New Jersey with the
“NJ Women’s Award”, by Lee Leonard host of “Jersey’s Talking" Turning Point, and the Lehigh Valley
Hospital, “Spirit of Women” award.
|
